Stalk-chopping machine.



G; W. GULLETT. STALK CHOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED .IANJB' 1917- RENEWED JUNE I. I918.

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. W. GULLETT.

STALK CHOPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IAN. IG, I911. RENEWED JUNE 1,1918.

6H0: net

Patented Aug. 6, 1918.

a sums-sum 2 6 8079? W anoint I Witnaoo o. wAsnmamm a. c.

G. W. GULLETT.

STALK CHOPPiNG MACHINE.

APPUCATION FILED IAN- l6. l9]?- RENEWED JUNE I. IQIB.

1,274,876. Patented Aug. 6, 1918 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- llHllllllliHHli 67907949 umwzzezzs m UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE.

.enonenw. GULLET'I', or MEIGsGEORGIA.

. fication,

-': sTALK-cHoPrIne :MACHINE.

i 1 Specification 'of Letters Patent; 1 cPate'nfm i Aflg, 6, 1918,

:Application ma January 16 19l7, Serial to. 142,745.. Renewed June 1, 19118, sriai'no. 237,833.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGEW. GULLET'r, a citizen of the nited States, esiding at Meigs,in the countyof Thomas and State of; Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in [Stalk Chopping Machines, of which the followingis aspeci- Thisinvention relateslto an lI IIPIOVQCl stalk chopping machine for severing the stalks of cotton, corn or any other growing plant and the principal object of the inven tion is to provide astalk chopper or cutter inwhich there will be. provided improved mean for imparting-vertical reciprocating movement to .the bladecarrying shaft or bar and to further so construct this machine that the power may be received'from the axle, carrying the supporting wheels Another object. of the invention is to so construct the transmission forming part of the machine that the axle forming the main driving shaft thereof'may be swung into and out of an operative position with respect to a driving shaft; forming part of .the transmission Anotherobject of the invention is to constructamachine .of the character described which. will be provided with gatheringarms and a compressing or flattening roller, the gatheringarms holding the plaiitgin alcompact mass and the roller thenhengaging the 1 plant and holding it upon the g'roundiwhile the chopping knife cuts the plant, I

Another object of the, inventionis to provide a? machine 'of the character described which will be very efficient in operation but at the same time will be co mparatively simple in construction. z; 3

This invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings,whereinzf Figure 1 is a view showing the improved, e

across the field straddling the row of plants stalk chopper in side elevation,

Fig. 2 isa bottom plan viewof the improved machine,

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the machine taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary view in section taken along the line of Fig. 2.

The frame or carriage is provided with side bars and 11 which are connected by the cross bars 12 and 13, the cross bars carrying the tongue 14:, the rear end portion of which carries an elongated bearing 15 positioned in alinement with a similar bearing 16 carried by'thejside bar 11 of the main frame of the machine." The axle 17 which constitutes the main driving shaft of this inachiniis formed in two sections, the main section beingslidably and rotatably mounted in thebearings l5 and 16 and the auxiliar-y section '17being pivotally connected with the side bar 1'0'by means of the bolt 18 servingas a pivot pin. The supporting wheels 19 'and" 2() aremounted upon the axle and the wheel'20'will be rigid with the axle sothat as this wheel rotates, the main 10 andll' and are'braced'by the straps28 and carry a cross bar 29 which is provided with. an opening positioned above'an open-' ing. 30 I formed in the tojngue lt. The shaft or handle 32' for the cutting blade "33 passes through th e openings of the tongue 14 and cross bar 29" and .enga'gesa" roller 34- so that the; shaft may"haveeasy movement when themachine isin operation. The upper'end portion of this shaft 32 is connected with a ,pitman 35 carried by. a crank shaft .1 6 monnted in bearings atthe upper ends of theI'standardsl27 and carries a-spro'cket chain 38 which also passes about" the sprocket wheel 26 of thedriven shaft 25.

When this machine is in use, it is driven or stalks to be chopped and if this machine is being used for chopping cotton plants or similar plants, the side flanges will be engagedby the forks 39. The roller 40 carriedby the hanger arms ll will then pass over the plants or stalks thus holding them fiat upon the ground so that they may be easily cut by the knife which will rapidly travel up and down. It will of course, be obvious, that as the machine moves forwardly with the latch lever moved to bring the gear 21 into engagement with the gear 24, rotary movement will be imparted to the crank shaft 36 and as this crank shaft 36 rotates, ,Y reciprocating movement will be transmitted to the blade carrying shaft 32 through the medium of the pitman 35, :and therefore, this blade carrying shaft 32 will be rapidly reciprocated thus bringing the knife into andout of a position for chopping the stalks. By moving the latch'lever to shift the axle and draw the gear 21 out of engagement with the gear '24:, the chopper can'be rendered inoperative and the machine can thenbe driven without the chopper in actuation and thus wear upon the machine will be prevented when not necessary. 'I have thus provided a machine which will be very simple in construction but which will be very eflicient in operation, the chopping knife reciprocating very rapidly thus doing away with danger of a plant being missed and further permitting the plants to be cutinto small sections so that it can be easily plowed under.

What is claimed is 1. A stalk chopping machine comprising a carriage, standards carried by said carriage, a cross bar carried by said standards, a tongue carried by said carriage, an axle rotatablyand movably connected with said carriage and constituting a driving shaft, a rotatably mounted driven shaft, gears carrie'd by the driving shaft and driven shaft, means for adjusting said driving shaft'to move the gear thereof into and out of engagement with the gear of the driven shaft, a chopping blade, a handle for said chopping blade slidably carried by saidtongue and cross bar, a crank shaft rotatably car ried by said standards, a pit-man carried by said crank shaft and engaging the handle of said chopping blade for imparting reciprocating movement to the handle as said crank shaft rotates, and means for transmitting rotary movement from the driven shaft to the crank shaft.

2. A stalk chopping machine comprising a carriage including a tongue, having an opening formed therein, standards carried by said carriage, a cross bar connecting said standards and provided with an opening positioned above the opening of said tongue, a chopping blade, a handle for said chopping blade slidably mounted in the opening of said tongue and cross bar, a crank shaft carriedPby said standards, a pitman-connected with said handle and mounted upon said crank shaft, a driving shaft carried by said frame, and means for imparting rotary movement from said driving shaftto said crank shaft.

3. A stalk chopping machine comprising a carriage, standards carried by saidcarriage, a crank shaft rotatably carried by said standards, elongated bearings carried by said carriage, a driving shaftsl-idably and rotatably mounted in the elongated bearings and pivotally mounted at one end, a driven shaft, 'means for -moving said driving shaft/into" and out of an operative position with respect to the "driven shaft, means for transmitting rotary movement from' the driving shaft to the driven shaft when the driving shaft" is moved to an operative position, a reciprocating mitten-means for transmitting movement I fromt-he crank shaft to the reciprocating cutter, and means for transmittingrotary movement from the driven shaft to the crank shaft.

4. A machine of the character described including an actuating shaft, a rotatably mounted driven shaft, means for transmitting rotary moveinentfroni' the driven shaft to the actuating shaft, a'driving shaft pivotally mounted adjacent one end, means *for transmittingrotary movement-from thedriving shaft to the driven shaft When the driving sh aft is in operative relation to the driven shaft, and means for swinging-saiddriving shaft into and out of operative-relation to the driven shaft.

In testimony whereof 'I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. .GULLETT.

' Witnesses:

J. A; DUREN, J. C. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may beobtained. for'five. cents each, by addressing the -"Com;nissioner of Batents,

Washington, no. 

